1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to Internet Protocol (IP)-based home networking, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing a remote User Interface (UI) to a Remote User Interface Client (RUIC) that cannot directly receive a service from a Remote User Interface Server (RUIS).
2. Description of the Related Art
A home network, comprised of an IP-based private network, connects all types of devices used in a home, such as Personal Computers (PCs), intelligent products and wireless devices, into one network through a common virtual computing environment called middleware to control the devices.
Middleware refers to a technology for connecting various digital devices in a peer-to-peer (P2P) manner to enable communication between the devices. Many industry standards organizations, such as Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), Home AV Interoperability (HAVI), Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), Java Intelligent Network Infrastructure (Jini) and Home Wide Web (HWW), have studied middleware technology to improve the home network technology.
In a home network, a Remote UI (RUI) technology may be used to allow one device to control functions or capabilities of other devices. In brief, the RUI technology is a client-server architecture-based technology, in which an RUIC acquires a UI(s) from an RUIS so that a user may control the RUIS through the UI on the RUIC.
This RUI technology is a mechanism for rendering and controlling a UI for controlling an application, not on the device running the application, but on other devices. Various RUI technologies are under study, such as Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)-2014, eXpandable Home Theater (XHT), Widget Description Exchange Service (WiDeX), and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
Now, a description will be made of CEA-2014, a typical RUI technology for controlling physically separated devices. A remote control system implementing CEA-2014 technology includes an RUIS providing UI(s) for remote control, and RUIC(s) for displaying a remotely received UI.
The RUIS providing a UI for remote control has a web server in it. Through this web server, the RUIS delivers a web page requested by an RUIC, and the RUIC displays the web page of a UI on an XHTML browser, for the user.
By using this RUI technology, an RUIC may set up a session with an RUIS and receive UI components from the RUIS, making it possible to control the RUIS. The UI components indicate elements constituting the UI, and refer to all types of data provided from the RUIS to the RUIC on an RUI session, such as icons, pull-down menus, buttons, scroll bars, windows, texts, and A/V data (audio/video, photo, etc.).
FIG. 1 shows a general example in which two client devices RUIC1 and RUIC2 access content, using the remote UI page and control information provided by RUIS 100. While an RUIC1 101 can directly receive a remote UI (RUI) page and content from the RUIS 100, another RUIC2 102 cannot directly receive a service from the RUIS 100 as shown by reference numeral 103. This situation may occur due to various reasons, such as the RUIC2 102 being positioned where its direct connection to the RUIS 100 is physically impossible, or the RUIC2 102 has no access rights to directly receive a remote UI page and content from the RUIS 100 even though its connection is possible. In this environment, use of the remote UI is very limited, but the remote UI service may be provided even to the RUIC2 102 by making good use of other neighboring devices such as, 3G terminals or devices capable of connecting with the RUIS 100.
Furthermore, in a convergence environment, where not only mobile communication terminals, but also devices having various capabilities, such as a Digital TV (DTV), a Portable Media Player (PMP) and a PC, coexist and provide services to the user, even the devices supporting remote UI may have different types of physical channel interfaces. For example, while a TV has a built-in Wireless Fidelity (WiFi)-based wireless LAN interface, all other devices in a home may have only a Bluetooth® interface, supporting the remote UI through the Bluetooth® interface. In this case, currently, there is no way to provide the remote UI service to the TV. If a multi-interface device having both the Bluetooth® and WiFi interfaces can provide the remote UI service on behalf of the devices, it would be more advantageous in the convergence environment.
The conventional method of providing the remote UI service only when the RUIS and the RUIC have direct connection has several disadvantages as stated above. To overcome these and other limitations of the conventional remote UI providing method, there is a need for a method of providing a remote UI page and content to the RUIC2 102, or to another RUIC incapable of service reception, using the RUIC1 101 capable of directly receiving a service from the RUIS 100.